WATCH: Acting Public Protector says Phala Phala investigation ‘is quite far’

Acting Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka said her office’s investigation into the robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm is ongoing and “people shouldn’t panic about it”.

Gcaleka was being interviewed by radio station Riverside FM on Wednesday while in Upington, Northern Cape, during the Public Protector office’s commemoration of heritage month.

‘Good progress’

The acting public protector said the investigation “is quite far”. Her reassurance comes after several political parties threatened legal action if the report into the Phala Phala farm robbery is not released.

“Quite a lot has been done in the Phala Phala [investigation] and I am satisfied that it is making good progress,” Gcaleka said.

She added that when the initial inquiries were made with Ramaphosa concerning the farm robbery, they were made as a preliminary investigation. From there the office decided that the matter warranted an investigation.

Addressing the perceived slow pace of the investigation, Gcaleka said there was only one chief investigator when she took over. She said she has since added a senior investigator.

“We’ve allowed the matter to take due quality assurance processes… to make sure the matter is properly dealt with,” she added.

Demands for report to be released

Earlier in September, political parties including, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), United Democratic Movement (UDM), African Transformational Movement (ATM) and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), marched to the Public Protector’s office.

During the march, EFF leader Julius Malema questioned why the Public Protector’s office had not yet released its report.

“Since [Gcaleka] took over as Acting Public Protector she says we are intimidating and bullying [but] we have not done anything to you my sister. We are asking you to do an honourable thing and release the report,” he said.

“Instead of releasing the report after 30 days as stated by the law, you come and say to us I’m not ready to release the report. The law doesn’t say after 30 days come and tell us the status of the report… it says release the report.”

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Malema added that if the report was not yet completed, Gcaleka should release parts of the report that are ready.

On Wednesday, Gcaleka dismissed claims that the investigation is going slowly. She said similar high-profile investigations by the public protector, such as those into state capture and Nkandla, took a long time to complete.

She said the Public Protector’s Act does not state that a report should be complete in 30 days, but rather “gives an ideal situation that it should be submitted in 30 days”.

Gcaleka said if her office is unable to complete it in 30 days, she is required to alert the authorities that more time is needed to submit the report and “thereafter it doesn’t give us a timeframe”.

“Since the establishment of the Public Protector of South Africa, 26 years [ago], it has never completed a matter of the calibre [such as the Phala Phala report] within 30 days,” she said.

Gcaleka added that Phala Phala is a full-scale investigation, rather than a preliminary investigation.

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